Hey everyone! I was given a laptop by my previous employer, but they shut down about a month ago, and now the Microsoft work account linked to the laptop is deactivated. Whenever I try to log in—even using the right password—it just freezes on the login screen. Is there any chance I can format this Dell laptop to set it up with my own personal account, detached from the company domain? Thanks for your help!
4 Answers
If the laptop is managed by Intune, you won’t be able to bypass it. As soon as it connects online, it'll revert back to corporate setup. Usually, the company IT should have deregistered it if they wanted you to use it, but if you're positive it’s not set up with Intune, your best bet is to create a Windows installation USB and reinstall Windows.
If you're able to create a bootable USB and start reinstalling Windows, watch out! There's a chance that if they had any lost equipment management set up, it could lock you out. Just a heads up—if they’re trying to keep the laptops from becoming e-waste, there might still be some restrictions on it.
You've got a managed device here, and unfortunately, that usually means it’s more or less a brick unless you manage to get past the MDM restrictions. It's frustrating, but unless you get official deregistration, it might be a tough road.
You'll need your former company’s admin to deregister the device from Microsoft Intune to make it usable again. However, you could also just format it and reinstall Windows while keeping it offline. If the device is older, installing Windows 7 or 8, or even Linux, might work out for you, as that could let you use it online without issues.
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